


All Nighter

by TheCowJumpedOverTheMoon



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, F/M, Idiots in Love, M/M, POV Ben Solo, Redeemed Ben Solo, Stormpilot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-10-28 06:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17782409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCowJumpedOverTheMoon/pseuds/TheCowJumpedOverTheMoon
Summary: Friendship (and possibly something more) blossom at an all-night cinema marathon when two lonely souls meet.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY VALENTINES Y'ALL.
> 
> I'm taking a little 'treat yo self' break from Smugglers Redemption to allow myself to write this jolly little AU fic. I hope you enjoy it!

 

Ben exhaled deeply, the slight jitter of nerves setting in as he felt a familiar flutter of anxiety in his chest that he tried to ignore. He had never been what his mother described as a 'social butterfly', and this was hardly a social event, but there was something about sitting in a dark screen for almost a day with a group of strangers whilst watching his favourite movies that still caused a well of anxiety to surface.

When he'd been told to take his much overdue leave before the start of the second quarter, he hadn't really had anything planned. Holiday was a necessity that he understood but never really valued - for Ben, it was often an excuse to get some life admin done, or to lounge on the sofa playing video games, but those were things he could do on the weekend anyway. Nope, definitely not a 'social butterfly'.

So it was somewhat surprising that he found himself queuing in the cramped box office of a small cinema just off Leicester Square, waiting to collect his ticket for a Star Wars Marathon. He wasn't sure what compelled him to book the ticket. Yes, he loved Star Wars (they were his favourite films after all), and he hadn't seen them on the big screen since his dad had taken him as a kid when the re-runs screened at their local cinema, but the idea of being in a room full of strangers for that length of time whilst watching something that he considered in many ways to bare his soul, was intimidating.

"Next!" Ben snapped out of his sullen thoughts and shuffled forward, pulling his phone from his pocket and sliding it across the counter to the man before him - who looked far too perky and energetic for a retail worker.

"You here for the marathon? First time?"

"Uh huh." Ben murmered, shifting a glance to the right and pretending to look at some leaflets.

"I hope you're prepared. Long night ahead. Get lots of snacks."

"Uh, yeah."

The man continued to smile as he input the booking reference into the computer. It was then that Ben noticed the animated chatting to his left, a girl leaning across the counter as she talked to the other man behind the counter. He didn't tune into what they were saying, but they both seemed comfortable and familiar so he assumed they knew one another.

Trying his best not to stare, he glanced back at the leaflets, picking one up in his hand and pretending to read the 2019 film schedule. It was then he realised the server had been chatting away in the background, and oh god he'd completely zoned out and had no idea what he'd said. His eyes darted up nervously and he tried his best to look confident and at ease, as though he'd been following the conversation all along.

"...so yeah, I mean the Star Wars marathon is definitely a weird one to start with given the length but if you have any questions or need any tips getting through it just give me or Finn here a shout - we're here for the long haul and we've done enough of these now to know the best way to tackle 'em."

"Wait, this is your first marathon?" A higher pitched voice snapped Ben back into reality again, and he turned his head to see the pair next to him had stopped talking, the girl staring at him somewhat dumbfounded.

"...What?" He let out meekly.

"This is your first marathon? You're starting with a full 16-hour marathon for your first one?"

She looked genuinely surprised, her mouth slightly ajar as she leant back from the counter to stand fully. She had a small frame but looked like she worked out despite this, her toned muscles suggesting she was capable of looking after herself. She was in a pair of plain grey leggings, a 'Han shot first' tee and some worn boots. A large duffel bag was slung over her shoulder, and her chestnut hair was pulled up into a lazy bun. Her eyes seemed kind, he thought, and he tried not to get drawn in by the subtle dance of freckles across her cheeks.

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?" Ugh. It was times like this that Ben wished he'd at least _tried_ to talk to other people at school.

"Well." She stretched slightly, resting an elbow on the counter as she turned her body towards him. "They're pretty intense. Most people start with the shorter ones and build their way up. It's over half a day, a long time to stay focused on a screen. Plus, it goes through the night. Unless you're already nocturnal people find that tricky to adjust to."

"...huh." Ben hadn't really thought of that. But then again, this was an impulse buy, and he hadn't really thought about building up to it. While he was something of a night owl, it was still going to be a long night - they still had another 3 hours before the screening started, and it ended at 1pm the following day and...oh, he hadn't thought this through all that well after all.

"Did you even have a nap before you came?"

Ben shook his head, moving a hand up to cover his face. "Uh, no. I probably should have..."

"Well, too late for that now! A word of advice though - most people stock up on sugar and energy drinks and that works for maybe the first hour or two, but you are gonna crash _hard_ and struggle after that, so you're best getting your energy from stuff like fruit and pacing yourself that way. Nothing wrong with knocking back something in the last few hours but if you start with that you'll feel awful real quick."

"You've done this before, then?" He just about managed to muster.

"Only ever weekend for the last year!" Interjected the man serving him, who he'd completely forgotten about. "Rey is something of a seasoned expert at these things. She's done 'em all; Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future, Harry Pott-"

"Nah, I've not done Harry Potter. I'm not totally crazy."

"Huh, I thought you'd done that one."

"Yeah I was gonna but you made Finn bail on me and I didn't want to do that one solo."

"I didn't bail!" the other man behind the counter whined. "I had to cover a shift. It's not like I could say no and then come here to watch a movie!"

"Yeah and we've run those marathons more than once, you can just go another time" his server retorted with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, you're holding up my queue hun so scoot!" He motioned to the woman with a swish of his arms and she shuffled over.

"Anything else I can help you with, bud?" He turned his attention back to Ben, who shook his head. "Well enjoy the marathon! See you back here later." The man shot him an award-winning grin, before tilting his head to the side and motioning for another customer to come forward as Ben found himself darting in the direction of the girl and her friend behind the counter.

"I'm Rey." Ben had turned to leave but stopped when the woman spoke. He darted his head in her direction, searching her eyes.

"My name. It's Rey." She shot an arm towards him, a hand outstretched. He hesitated for a moment before shaking it, pulling away hastily after.

"I'm Ben" He mumbled under his breath, surprised at how deep his voice sounded compared to hers. Had his voice always been like that? Was it weird?

"Nice to meet you, Ben." She shot him a toothy grin, and he couldn't help but smile in return. "So you're new to this whole thing. You here on your own or meeting a friend?"

"Just me."

"You got anything planned before tonight?"

"Well, I was gonna grab some snacks, maybe head to Forbidden Planet..."

"Oh I _love_ Forbidden Planet! Zaps all my money though." She did a little explosion motion with her hands. "Well if you've got some time to kill I'm happy to show you the ropes if you like? I'm a bit of a creature of habit so I tend to do the same things for every screening and they seem to do the job, so..."

Her voice trailed off at the end, her animated nature reigning in to reveal something more like insecurity. Ben found himself immediately at ease, initially a little wary of her friendliness and positivity. God, everyone in this cinema was so perky and the marathon hadn't even started yet. But insecurity, Ben knew that. And somehow it made her more human to him. She had nothing to be nervous about, and yet...

"Yeah. I'd really like that." The words left his mouth before he even had the time to attempt the mental gymnastics of assessing whether or not it was a good idea.

"Great!" Cheery Rey was back, and he found himself questioning whether or not the insecurity was just a figment of his imagination after all.

"Probably for the best I give Finn a break. He sees enough of me at home." She tilted her head at the man behind the counter, who was busying himself cleaning the counter surface. Ben felt an unexpected dip in his chest and a tightening feeling, but ignored it. He always did. 

"I could never spend too much time with you, Peanut" the man chirped. "Although Poe would probably appreciate it if I focused more on my job than chatting to my room mate."

"He'd appreciate it more if you focused more of your time on him, more like." She muttered under her breath.

"What?" A furious blush spread across the man's face. Ben glanced at the other man, who was busy serving another customer, blissfully unaware of the conversation unfolding right next to him. 

"What?" Rey returned, feigning ignorance and flitting a hand at him, shooing him away. "I'll catch up with you later. Use your time wisely." She gave the man a knowing look, and he muttered something under his breath.

Ben was pulled out of his trance when Rey put a gentle hand on his shoulder, giving it a pat. "You like pizza?" Ben nodded and smiled. This afternoon was turning out to be much more unexpected than he'd foreeen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pair get to know one another other pizza.

"Okay, so there's this fantastic pizza place just around the corner that let's you put whatever toppings you want on a pizza, we could grab something quick to eat there before we head to Forbidden Planet?" 

"Sure." Ben still wasn't entirely sure how he'd managed to wind up in this situation - going for dinner with a pretty girl he'd literally met about two minutes ago. But here he was, mosying over to the pizza place, trying to keep up with this girl who seemed to have a permanent spring in her step. Despite his tall stature and long legs, he was somehow struggling to keep up, doing his best to weave in and out of the crowds that permenantly cluttered the Square. While he fumbled awkward apologies and trod on more toes than he could count, Rey simply breezed through the sea of people like a fish swimming against the current. Ben was fairly sure there was a special place in Hell got people who stopped suddenly in the middle of busy crowds. 

As they finally reached the restaurant, they joined the queue and she pointed at the menu, talking through the different options. She wasn't kidding, endless toppings, cheeses and sauces, and Ben's mouth watered at the possibilities. Rey slid forward and began chatting to the server, who it seemed she was on a first name basis with. How often did she come here? At this stage Ben wouldn't be surprised if she knew everyone on Leicester Square. 

It was his turn to shuffle forward, and he pointed at his chosen ingredients as the server - who he would soon discover was named Rose - suggested different sauces to go with his choices with a genuine beaming smile. His pizza was whisked into the wood fired oven, and he was given a buzzer to take back to his table. Rey led him to a corner upstairs with a window seat that looked down on the road leading up to the busy Square. 

"Good for people watching" she remarked, motioning to the window. 

"Ever see anyone interesting?" 

"Sometimes. But I mostly make up stories in my head about what they might be like. So, that guy-" she points down at a man in a dark suit pacing back and forth across a square meter of street corner whilst chatting animatedly on his mobile "-maybe we can assume he's on an important work call, he looks a little angry, right?"

Ben squinted his eyes and peered closer at the man, who did indeed look frustrated. "But that would be too obvious. Look again." Rey motioned with her eyes towards the man. "He looks agitated, but he's got a slight shake in his hand. Maybe that means this is something personal to him. The pacing could also indicate some nerves. Maybe it's a work call about his performance and he's trying to justify it. Maybe it's the bank asking why he's missed a payment. Or maybe-" she paused, Ben assumed for dramatic effect "-maybe his cat is at the vets and they're talking through the options and one of them is surgery. He could be frustrated, scared, and worried for little Tinketbell. He wants whats best for her, and while he's worried about surgery being too intrusive he wants her to get better." She smiled as she looked down on the street. 

"You've got quite the imagination then." Ben replied. 

"Mhm" she smiled. "Lots of time by myself as a kid. I made up a lot of stories." Her smile faltered just a little, and Ben spotted the change in emotions, but before he could ask more their pizza arrived. 

He looked across at Rey's concoction. "So what's on there - chorizo, tomatoes, peppers..."

"Yep, some pulled pork, a few different types of cheese, hot and spicy sauce aaaand some lettuce."

Ben chuckled. "Somehow I'd pegged you as a 'pineapple on pizza' kind of girl." 

"Are you mocking me?" She gasped, eyeing up his pizza as he began tucking in on a slice. "And that's rich coming from you when you have pineapple on yours!" 

"I never said I wasn't a pineapple on pizza kind of gal" He scoffed through a mouthful of food. 

Rey chuckled in response, her pupils glinting as she began to nibble on her own slice. "Good?" 

"Real good." He smiled back. Ben didn't do much smiling, so he hoped it didn't look too much like a mannequin being pulled at the strings. She didn't look disturbed, so he assumed it looked passably natural to him. 

"So, I'm guessing by the staff knowing you on a first name basis you come here a lot?" 

"Mhm" she nodded, swallowing the mouthful of pizza. "I've got a lifetime pass at the cinema so I get discounts, plus Finn does get me the occasional free ticket. I usually head in with him when his shift starts, do a little wandering, and eat here." 

"How often do you go to screenings?" 

"Usually it's a couple a week, particularly if Finn is on weekend shifts because I'm not too keen being on my own in the flat. But for these proper long screenings, maybe once a month?" 

"That's quite a lot" Ben casually remarks. 

"Yeah I don't really go out much otherwise, and I like movies, what can I say?" Her response was cheery enough but he sensed a slight pang of sadness there too. 

"Neither do I really" he piped in, before chomping down on another slice of pizza. 

"Through choice, or...?"

"Choice, I guess. Work keeps me busy, plus I haven't lived in London for that long. Can't say I've made any friends since I got here and I work long hours." 

"What do you do?" She asked, placing her slice of pizza on the plate and glancing across at him with curiosity. 

"Ah, I'm a lawyer. Mainly financial law, so it's pretty boring."

"Good money I bet though, right?" 

"It is, but I'm more interested in building up experience. I want to go into more localised law, but it doesn't pay well so I want to build up a little money so I can volunteer on some off days or split my time between the two." 

"What is family law exactly?" 

"Well, I'm looking to do something with small communities, helping with familial disputes with people who don't have the financial resources to hire a good lawyer. If I can develop my skills at a good firm I can provide a better service." 

"That's really interesting." She remarked. Perhaps coming from someone else it would sound blasé but she seemed genuinely curious. "What brought you to London then?" 

"An opportunity came up to transfer so I took it. Its for an initial sixteen months with the possibility of extension or making it permanent if I want. I was looking for a change, and I'm not exactly close to my family, so..." His voice trailed off, not sure how much he wanted to disclose to this relative stranger he'd been telling his life story to. 

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me." She smiled softly, a look of understanding. 

"What about you, what do you do?" He asked, trying not to fidget as he spoke. 

"I'm a mechanic. Nothing fancy, little garage in Peckham about ten minutes from the flat. I studied engineering but had to drop out, so this is the best I can do with the experience I've got." There was a hint of sadness in her voice. 

"Do you enjoy it?" 

"I guess - my boss is a bit of a dick, but that's nothing new." 

"Yeah, I definitely know that feeling." He mumbled. 

"The work is interesting. It doesn't pay great, but it pays the bills. I'm not totally sure what I want to do for a career longer term, but for now I'm quite happy plodding along fixing cars." 

"You don't have to decide on a career" he noted "Sometimes it's good to go with the flow and just do what feels natural at the time. Take opportunity as it comes." 

"That's a good way of looking at it." She nodded. "You know, I can't imagine you in a suit. Sat here in your Star Wars top and your beat up Converse." She chuckled, motioning at his outfit. 

"Yeah, I can't say I like it all that much." He replied. "Although I treat it as wearing a uniform so that makes it a bit more bearable."

"You're probably one of those people who scrub up really well though, one of those annoying people who look good in everything."

"I don't know about that" he chuckled softly. "I hate it though. The formality, the ass-kissing. Its a means to an end though." He reaches into his wallet and pulls out a card, sliding it across to her on the table. "If you uh, ever need a Lawyer. But hopefully not." 

"Yeah, here's hoping _not_ " she scoffed, taking the card in her hand and turning it in her hand. "Kylo Ren?“

“I go under a false name. My family name is uh, known in the States, so I wanted a bit of anonymity. To carve my own path." 

Rey was quiet for a moment, further examining the card before glancing back up at him. "It sounds like the name of a fucking metal band." 

Ben scoffed before bursting into laughter, and she grinned back at him, hardly trying to hide her snickering.

"So no friends, don't like your family, you don't really like your job...you have a girlfriend, cute girlfriend?" She prodded, the last few words coming out just a little higher pitched. 

He laughed, before responding. "Nope. Total loner here." He gestured at himself. "I mean, I was lucky to even get time off for this marathon, I don't really have time to do the whole dating thing, going out and meeting people. It's hard work, y'know?" 

"Yeah, I know that feeling." She responded. "I mainly just hang out with Finn. We go way back, known each other since we were kids so I can _always_ rely on him. I mean, I suppose Poe is a friend although he's mainly Finn's 'friend', if you know what I mean." She emphasised by doing quotation marks with her fingers. "I did try to keep in touch with some uni friends but it never really panned out, so it's usually just me."

Ben took a gulp, before leaning forward just slightly. "Well, if you ever want someone to go to the movies with, if nothing else to keep up the facade of social normality, I'm happy to be that person. I mean, we don't know each other that well but I'm always game to see a movie, so you wouldn't have to talk to me for very long anyway if you didn't want to-"

"I'd like that a lot, actually." She quirked her head to the side slightly, a warm smile crossing her lips. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome." 

And with that, they shovelled down the last of the pizza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone interested, the pizza place is Mod Pizza, just off Leicester Square. It's pretty good.
> 
> Comments, kudos and subscribes are very much appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Hahaha this was gonna be a one shot until I started noting down plot points and realised this was gonna be a long one. I'm still working on Smugglers Redemption and I don't want to loose focus so this will be updated less regularly, but if I finish SR before this then the chapters may speed up a little. This is my first AU so I'm excited to be trying something new! A/N - this is a world without the sequel movies because I wasn't quite sure how to tackle characters effectively watching themselves on screen. I have opted to include Rogue One though, mainly to pad it out.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this - feedback is always appreciated, so please let me know your thoughts in the comments! Have a Reylo Valentines y'all ❤️


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